ST. LOUIS — "It just breaks my heart," said Tony Maldonado, chairman of the Hispanic Leaders Group in St. Louis.
He lives in Florissant.
Maldonado lives in Florissant, but for several days now, his thoughts have trekked to Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Friona has left its mark.
Five years ago on Sept. 19, Hurricane Maria battered the island.
"There are still blue tarps on lots of houses in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria," Maldonado said.
His 51-year-old son, Anthony, and his four grandsons live near San Juan. Their home is now flooded as Hurricane Fiona pounds down hard.
"The last couple of days Anthony has not had power," Maldonado said.
HIs loved ones are among the million-plus Puerto Ricans living without electricity and running water due to the hurricane. Through it all, Anthony, who works at an insurance company, is helping flood victims recover.
"He's now busy helping with that aspect of it," Maldonado said. "Your house can be knocked down with mudslides, or you can get buried in a mudslide."
"Hurricanes are so unpredictable," Central West End mother Sandi Wright said. She is also keeping a close eye on the hurricane-hit island that's battling torrential rain, mudslides and wild winds.
Wright's son, Gene Spilker, and his wife, Wendy, moved to San Juan four months ago.
"We just don't know, and the uncertainty is part of the fear," Wright said.
Concerned parents, both Maldonado and Wright are now tracking the storm and their family members via text messages.
"I'm just crossing my fingers that he can get a good cell tower, he can ping off that and he can receive calls," Maldonado said.
"We're just hoping that it goes away," Wright said.
Volunteers with the Hispanic Leaders Group of St. Louis and the Puerto Rican Society Incorporated are on standby to help hurricane victims with food, toiletries and other donations if needed.
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